Pirates of the Caribbean visually are a very pretty title. While the character models aren’t the most detailed, they are extremely varied. No two people really look alike which is a feat in itself. The landscapes are beautifully rendered and each local is visually unique. From the detailed trees to the jaw dropping water the game is a looker. What does hamper the title is the camera for 3rd person. It, much like in a Tomb Raider title, always gets in the way. It can also hinder fight scenes in this manner, especially in close corridors. In first person there are no real issues. Fans of Morrowind will prefer this view in the end, as will others whom choose to play in this manner. The game also allows you to set sail, which allows for some of the most beautiful visuals in the game. Manning the cannon, and watching your foe swallow seawater is most enjoyable. Hitting the seas in a storm is an event in itself, and the effects are genuinely awe-inspiring. Eye candy galore is in store for you.

Audio hits a disappointing mark. There is a great use of musical score that will have you dancing a jig and feel like Aril Flynn in no time. The voice acting on the other hand is very absent. In this day and age text reading should be left to the subtitles only. This hinders the cinematic experience for me, as even Morrowind had far more voice acting in its title. The other sound effects are generally fair, and are very common these days. The typical sword clanging, grunts, groans, and atmosphere sounds have all been done before. Not that it’s a bad thing; just nothing is fresh or new in the audio department.

Pirates controls very well in first person mode, but while in 3rd person that pesky camera gets on your last nerve. The navigation menus are easy to wade through and equipped items. You can hold a wealthy lot of items as well, which thankfully keeps your from making return trips or running out of items. The fighting engine is fluid and the enemy health meter helps you to know when he’s about to taste steel. Controlling your vessel on the high seas can be very trying in the rough waters, but no one said guiding a ship though a storm would be easy either. The Xbox takes the biggest hit on controls as the game forces your to choose the item, then you must choose your hand in order to pick it up. This isn’t as tedious or annoying with a mouse and keyboard, but with a control pad it’s a pain in the ass. It’s obvious that this game was designed for the PC, and strictly ported to the Xbox.

Hours upon hours will be spent guiding your character through the lands; unfortunately you are stuck with the main character, as the option to create one is null and void. Fans hoping to make their own swashbuckler will be very disappointed in this lack of a feature. What also obstructs the game from being open ended is the inability to steal from everyone or even loot most corpses. This was done in Morrowind, why not here? To tell me I can’t loot the booty off some town folks I killed for pleasure just takes the ruthlessness out of me. Not to mention the whole point of doing devious things in the first place! With these few annoyances aside the game still leans towards the open-end style than linear. You can do things at your own pace, with a huge world to do it in. There is easily a 100-hour quest here if you do everything.

All in all, Pirates of the Caribbean may not follow the movie, do everything that it’s twin brother Morrowind does, and may have some camera issues in 3rd person, but the game is very enjoyable nonetheless and will keep any fan of swashbuckling pirates happy. Not to mention, Morrowind didn’t allow you to sail the seven seas either! Pirates is a good, just not great game. If you want more diversity and ability to choose the length of your evil doings, you may want to give Port Royale a spin instead.